1) Riverside Park South Waterfront | New York USA | Thomas Balsley

Associates

Published: January 27, 2012

Stretching along Manhattan’s west side, Riverside Park South is an urban

miracle on the Hudson and the last link in Manhattan’s west side greenway. Its

creation involved working with local and state government agencies, community

groups, stakeholders and the client to create a vibrant new public space that

reintroduced the community to the water’s edge and responded to the unique

industrial history and riparian ecology of the site. It is a massive, multi-phase

project of sweeping ambition and historic scope. Combining new greenspace,

new infrastructure, and the renovation of landmark industrial buildings, the

master plan—originally devised by Thomas Balsley Associates in 1991—has

come to life as a 13-block extension of Frederick Law Olmsted’s famed Riverside

Park. The bold scheme calls for the elevated Miller Highway, long a barrier

between the city and its waterfront, to be dropped to grade and covered with a

park, affording unimpeded access from upland neighborhoods to their riverfront.

POSITIVE

 A pedestrian bridge sweeps out across a historic cove with reconstructed

upper marsh grasses.

 It offers high variety of experiences.

 Planted riprap is used along the river edge to blur the lines between the

large expanses of river edge marsh grasses, public lawns and the river.

 The overlooks are illuminated by a contemporary light poles and small

linear lights.

 A large public terrace provides public gathering spaces overlooking the

river

 Naturalized river edge

NEGATIVE

 It was underfunded and plague with crime before the development.